By Gerald L. Nino, CBP, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/photo_gallery/afc/bp/37.xml (file Cbp037.jpg), Public Domain, Link
The centennial celebration gala for the U.S. Border Patrol has been scrapped over funding woes, leaving organizers and agents with last-minute plans to reshuffle. Scheduled to take place in El Paso, the gala hit a snag when the Department of Homeland Security's legal team informed the planners that accepting sponsorships from contractors entangled with the Border Patrol was a no-go, as reported by Fox San Antonio.
Amid the controversy, multiple sources have disclosed to NBC News that key figures within the Border Patrol's leadership, including Chief Jason Owens and Rio Grande Valley sector head Gloria Chavez, are being investigated over potential conflicts of interest after attending soirees thrown by a cross-border trade bigwig the saga deepens as Owens and Chavez also find themselves in the hot seat for undisclosed relationships with a Mexican tequila tycoon, further blurring ethical lines just as the centenary celebrations face their own predicaments.
Owens confirmed the cancellation on an unspecified social platform, with Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland clarifying that not a dime of taxpayer money was earmarked for the gala, quoting the sheriff, "This money was donated to that nonprofit so they could put on this, again, this event for US Border Patrol agency and help minimize the cost for people who wanted to attend."
The ethical quake rocking the Border Patrol comes with senior officials being served up a mandatory course in ethics prior to engaging in any centennial festivities, the agency, sensitive to its already dented image is taking no more gambles as it navigates through celebrating its hundred-year saga, the probe has prompted a closer look at what the gifts and interactions between Garza, the Mexican businessman and Border Patrol honchos entail.
This isn't the first round of scrutiny for the Border Patrol brass, following a disclosure that officials, including Owens, partook in a trip to Mexico to celebrate Owens' birthday at a distillery, raising questions about who footed the bill. These high-ranking persona were also caught on camera sharing a table with Garza and Francisco Javier González, the tequila magnate at the center of an ill-fated venture to brand a special edition tequila for the Border Patrol's centennial, according to NBC News.
The ripples of concern have reached even the rank-and-file members of the Border Patrol, with Hector Garza, the president of the Border Patrol Union in Laredo, vocalizing apprehension to local station KGNS on the image being projected by the agency amidst the scandal, "We don’t know if it was done on duty or if this was done in an off-duty personal capacity. Again, it’s under investigation, but I do believe the taxpayer does not expect us to be internationally traveling for tequila projects."
